Hong Kong New Wave
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The Hong Kong New Wave is a film movement in
Chinese-language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the wor ...
Hong Kong cinema The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of pol ...
that emerged in the late 1970s and lasted into the early 2000s.


Origins of the movement

The Hong Kong New Wave started in 1979 with the release of numerous notable films. During the 1980s, the Hong Kong film industry began to flourish. Film emerged as the most popular form of entertainment in Hong Kong, in part due to the fact that many Chinese households did not have a TV at the time. Many of the New Wave directors had a Western-style education and were influenced by western filmmaking and culture. The films of the Hong Kong New Wave were not stylistically homogenous, rather the term was used to mark the distinction of a new generation of filmmakers. Films of the Hong Kong New Wave utilized new technology and techniques such as synchronous sound, new editing techniques, and filming movies on location.


First Wave and Second Wave

The Hong Kong New Wave is considered to have two distinct periods. The first period, also called the "Hong Kong New Wave" or alternatively called the "First Wave", began in the late 1970s and lasted into the mid to late 1980s. The second period, called the "Second New Wave", is considered to have begun in 1984, after the New Wave began to gain attention from international audiences. Directors of the Second New Wave include
Stanley Kwan Stanley Kwan (traditional Chinese: 關錦鵬; simplified Chinese: 关锦鹏); born 9 October 1957) is a Hong Kong film director and producer. Kwan landed a job at TVB after receiving a mass communications degree at Hong Kong Baptist College. ...
,
Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...
,
Mabel Cheung Mabel Cheung (, born 17 November 1950) is a film director from Hong Kong. She is one of the leading directors in Hong Kong cinema and is considered one of the three women (along with Ann Hui and Clara Law) to achieve acclaim in the New Wave/Se ...
,
Alex Law Alex Law Kai-Yui (; 19 August 1952 – 2 July 2022) was a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. Law was educated at the Diocesan Boys' School, Hong Kong, matriculating in 1971. Law collaborated with Mabel Cheung on many of her ...
,
Fruit Chan Fruit Chan Gor (; born 15 April 1959) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors (such as Sam Lee in '' Made in H ...
,
Peter Chan Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962) is a film director and producer. Early life Chan was born in British Hong Kong to parents China. He and his family moved to Thailand when he was 12, where he grew up amongst the international Chines ...
, and Tammy Cheung.


''First Wave''

* '' Cops and Robbers'' (Alex Cheung Kwok-ming, 1979) * '' The Secret'' (
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...
, 1979) * ''
The Butterfly Murders ''The Butterfly Murders'' is a 1979 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film directed by Tsui Hark. It has elements of history and a murder mystery. The film is not widely available on tape or DVD in the West (there is a German and a French DVD release), thoug ...
'' (
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, 1979) * '' The Spooky Bunch'' (
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...
, 1980) * ''
We're Going to Eat You ''We're Going to Eat You'' ( zh, 地獄無門) is a 1980 Hong Kong horror comedy film directed by Tsui Hark. The film is about a secret agent, Agent 999, who is attempting to capture a thief named Rolex. Agent 999's hunt leads him to a village t ...
'' (
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, 1980) * ''
Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind ''Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind'' () is a 1980 Hong Kong crime film directed by Tsui Hark. The initial cut of the film was banned for its violence, generating public interest in the film that caused its edited version to become a box o ...
'' (
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, 1980) * ''
The Sword The Sword was an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band was composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III for most of its t ...
'' ( Patrick Tam, 1980) * ''
Father and Son Father and Son or Fathers and Sons may refer to: Literature * ''Father and Son'' (book), a 1907 memoir by Edmund Gosse *Father and Son (comics), cartoon characters created by E. O. Plauen * ''Fathers and Sons'' (novel), an 1862 novel by Ivan Tur ...
'' (
Allen Fong Allen Fong Yuk-ping (方育平) (born July 10, 1947) is a film director and one of the leaders of the Hong Kong New Wave of the late 1970s and early 1980s. His cinematic style is highly influenced by Italian neorealism. He also usually uses person ...
, 1981) * ''
Love Massacre Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the lov ...
'' ( Patrick Tam, 1981) * '' The Club'' (
Kirk Wong Kirk Wong (黃志強; born March 28, 1949) is a Hong Kong film director and actor. Wong is best known for action films '' Crime Story'' and ''The Big Hit''. Wong's other films like '' Health Warning'', '' Organized Crime & Triad Bureau'', and '' ...
, 1981) * ''
All the Wrong Clues for the Right Solution ''All the Wrong Clues for the Right Solution'' () is a 1981 Hong Kong comedy film directed and co-written by Tsui Hark. The film stars George Lam as Yoho, Karl Maka as Ah Capone and Teddy Robin Kwan as Inspector Robin. Yoho is a down on his lu ...
'' (
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, 1981) * ''
The Story of Woo Viet ''The Story of Woo Viet'' is a 1981 Hong Kong political drama directed by Ann Hui and starring Chow Yun-fat as the title character, Woo Viet. The assistant director was Stanley Kwan and the action choreographer was Ching Siu-tung. The film w ...
'' (
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...
, 1981) * '' The Imp'' (
Dennis Yu Dennis Yu Yun-kong (余允抗) is a Hong Kong film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. ...
, 1981) * ''
Boat People Vietnamese boat people ( vi, Thuyền nhân Việt Nam), also known simply as boat people, refers to the refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its h ...
'' (
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...
, 1982) * ''
Nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...
'' ( Patrick Tam, 1982) * ''
Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' ( zh, t=新蜀山劍俠) is a 1983 Hong Kong supernatural ''wuxia'' fantasy film directed by Tsui Hark and based on the xianxia novel '' Legend of the Swordsmen of the Mountains of Shu'' by Huanzhulouzh ...
'' (
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, 1983) * ''
Health Warning ''Health Warning'' (alternative titles: ''Da Lei Tai'', ''Da Lui Toi'', ''Future Flash Kung Fu'', ''Digital Master'') is a 1983 Hong Kong film directed by Kirk Wong. It is a dystopian sci-fi kung fu film set in the future. Cast and roles * ...
'' (
Kirk Wong Kirk Wong (黃志強; born March 28, 1949) is a Hong Kong film director and actor. Wong is best known for action films '' Crime Story'' and ''The Big Hit''. Wong's other films like '' Health Warning'', '' Organized Crime & Triad Bureau'', and '' ...
, 1983) * ''
Ah Ying ''Ah Ying'' (半邊人) is a 1983 Hong Kong film directed by Allen Fong. It stars Chi-Hung Chang, Pui Hui, So-ying Hui, and Kei Shu. It won the Best Film Award at the 3rd Hong Kong Film Awards. It was also entered into the 34th Berlin Intern ...
'' (
Allen Fong Allen Fong Yuk-ping (方育平) (born July 10, 1947) is a film director and one of the leaders of the Hong Kong New Wave of the late 1970s and early 1980s. His cinematic style is highly influenced by Italian neorealism. He also usually uses person ...
, 1983) * '' Hong Kong, Hong Kong'' (Clifford Choi, 1983) * ''
Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...
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Yim Ho Yim Ho (Chinese:嚴浩) is a Hong Kong director most active in the 1980s, and a leader of the Hong Kong New Wave. He began his career making television programs for RTHK, then became a film director in 1980. One of his most critically acclaimed ...
, 1984) * '' Love in a Fallen City'' (
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...
, 1984) * ''
Shanghai Blues ''Shanghai Blues'' ( Chinese:上海之夜) is a Hong Kong film directed and produced by Tsui Hark in his producer debut, which had its premiere on September 1984. Kenny Bee, Sylvia Chang and Sally Yeh starred in this film. The music is composed ...
'' (
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
, 1984)


''Second Wave (1984-1990s)''

* The Illegal Immigrant (
Mabel Cheung Mabel Cheung (, born 17 November 1950) is a film director from Hong Kong. She is one of the leading directors in Hong Kong cinema and is considered one of the three women (along with Ann Hui and Clara Law) to achieve acclaim in the New Wave/Se ...
, 1985) * Love Unto Wastes (
Stanley Kwan Stanley Kwan (traditional Chinese: 關錦鵬; simplified Chinese: 关锦鹏); born 9 October 1957) is a Hong Kong film director and producer. Kwan landed a job at TVB after receiving a mass communications degree at Hong Kong Baptist College. ...
, 1986) * ''
An Autumn's Tale ''An Autumn's Tale'' is a 1987 Hong Kong romantic drama film set in New York City starring Chow Yun-fat, Cherie Chung, and Danny Chan. The film is Mabel Cheung's second directorial effort after her "migration trilogy." The film won the Hong Ko ...
(
Mabel Cheung Mabel Cheung (, born 17 November 1950) is a film director from Hong Kong. She is one of the leading directors in Hong Kong cinema and is considered one of the three women (along with Ann Hui and Clara Law) to achieve acclaim in the New Wave/Se ...
, 1987)'' * ''Rouge'' (
Stanley Kwan Stanley Kwan (traditional Chinese: 關錦鵬; simplified Chinese: 关锦鹏); born 9 October 1957) is a Hong Kong film director and producer. Kwan landed a job at TVB after receiving a mass communications degree at Hong Kong Baptist College. ...
, 1987) * ''Cagemen'' (Jacob Cheung, 1992) * '' As Tears Go By'' (''
Wong Kar Wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...
'', 1988) *
Days of Being Wild ''Days of Being Wild'' is a 1990 Hong Kong drama film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. Starring some of the best-known actors and actresses in Hong Kong, including Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Jacky Cheung and Tony Le ...
(
Wong Kar Wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...
, 1990) * Chungking Express (
Wong Kar Wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...
, 1994)


Notable directors

*
Alex Cheung Kwok Ming Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...
( 章國明) *
Allen Fong Allen Fong Yuk-ping (方育平) (born July 10, 1947) is a film director and one of the leaders of the Hong Kong New Wave of the late 1970s and early 1980s. His cinematic style is highly influenced by Italian neorealism. He also usually uses person ...
( 方育平) *
Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Ho ...
( 許鞍華) * Clifford Choi ( 蔡繼光) *
Dennis Yu Dennis Yu Yun-kong (余允抗) is a Hong Kong film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. ...
(余允抗) *
Fruit Chan Fruit Chan Gor (; born 15 April 1959) is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors (such as Sam Lee in '' Made in H ...
( 陳果) *
John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...
( 吳宇森) *
Kirk Wong Kirk Wong (黃志強; born March 28, 1949) is a Hong Kong film director and actor. Wong is best known for action films '' Crime Story'' and ''The Big Hit''. Wong's other films like '' Health Warning'', '' Organized Crime & Triad Bureau'', and '' ...
( 黃志強) * Patrick Tam ( 譚家明) *
Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as ''Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...
( 徐克) *
Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...
( 王家衛) *
Yim Ho Yim Ho (Chinese:嚴浩) is a Hong Kong director most active in the 1980s, and a leader of the Hong Kong New Wave. He began his career making television programs for RTHK, then became a film director in 1980. One of his most critically acclaimed ...
( 嚴浩)


References


External links


The rise of Hong Kong New Wave cinema on GB Times

Screening the Past article about a HK New Wave book

The 30 Best Hong Kong Movies of All Time on Taste of Cinema
(featuring HK New Wave titles by John Woo and Wong Kar Wai) {{film genres New Wave New Wave in cinema Movements in cinema 1970s in film 1980s in film 1990s in film 2000s in film